Football at Fenway: Notre Dame, Boston College to battle before Green Monster in 2015

The Boston Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills during an AFL football game at Fenway Park on November 7, 1965.

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Football will indeed be returning to Fenway Park.

The Red Sox confirmed Friday that Boston College and Notre Dame will renew their football rivalry at the historic ballpark on Nov. 21, 2015.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo was the first to report news of the game, which will be the first football game at Fenway Park since Dec. 1, 1968.

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“The City of Boston will be ready to welcome Fighting Irish and Eagles fans alike when Fenway brings this historic rivalry to one of our most beloved landmarks in 2015,” Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to a memorable weekend that puts Boston, and all the great things our city has to offer, in the national spotlight.”

Fenway has hosted soccer and hockey in recent years, but football has not been played in the stadium since the then-Boston Patriots ended their tenure there in 1968. The BC and Notre Dame men’s hockey squads will also meet at the ballpark on Jan. 4 as part of the third edition of Frozen Fenway.

“We are pleased to bring one of football’s most historic rivalries to Fenway Park as we host the Fighting Irish and Eagles in what will be the first football game at Fenway in 47 years,” Fenway Sports Management president and Red Sox EVP/COO Sam Kennedy said. “We look forward to hosting Notre Dame and Boston College and welcoming the many alumni from both schools to New England for what we hope will be a memorable matchup.”

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 13-9 and has won each of the last four meetings. The Fenway game, which is scheduled for a primetime kickoff, is being dubbed part of the Fighting Irish’s “Shamrock Series” and will be broadcast on NBC. The series — in which Notre Dame is 5-0 — has included games against Army at Yankee Stadium, Miami at Soldier Field and Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium.

The Eagles finished the 2013 regular season 7-5 and will meet Arizona in the Avocare V100 Bowl, while the Irish, who finished 7-5, earned a bid to take on Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.